1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air bag module for use on the driver side of automotive and other vehicles wherein an inflatable air bag or cushion is inflated in the event of a collision to protect the driver from injury that could result from being forcibly thrown against the steering wheel, dashboard, etc. The air bag module uses a toroidal hybrid inflator assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pyrotechnic inflator assemblies that currently are in use in driver side air bag modules, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. application for patent bearing Ser. No. 07/820,826, filed Jan. 15, 1992 by Gary V. Adams and Bradley W. Smith, typically are toroidal types having relatively flat disk-like shapes that include a flange. The modules currently produced use the flange of the toroidal inflator to attach it to the module housing.
Inflator assemblies of the toroidal type, as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. application for patent bearing Ser. No. 07/820,826, produce a cushion inflating gas source from a combustible gas generating material which, upon ignition, generates a quantity of gas sufficient to inflate the cushion. In another form of toroidal inflator assembly, the cushion inflating gas results from a combination of stored compressed gas and a gas generating material, as disclosed, for example, in German patent Off. 2443 267 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,901,530 and 5,199,740. The latter form of toroidal inflator assembly is commonly referred to as a toroidal augmented gas or hybrid inflator. A toroidal hybrid inflator affects the performance of an air bag module in several ways including variation in the amount of stored gas, the transmission of heat to the stored gas, and the rate at which the inflating gas is dispensed into the inflatable cushion.
The toroidal hybrid inflator is characterized in that it does not have a flange to attach it to the air bag module. There is thus a need and a demand to devise another method to attach the toroidal hybrid inflator to an air bag module thereby to eliminate the need for a flange to be welded thereto. The present invention was devised to fill the technological gap that has existed in the art in these respects.